The play How to Make Audio Flowers by Alvaro Saar Rios made its Northeast Ohio debut here at Lakewood High School, presented by the Lakewood High Barnstormers on Nov. 7, 8, and 9 in the Black Box Theatre.
Set 100 years in the future, the play envisions a world where music has been banned. It follows a group of teenagers who navigate this musicless society, ultimately discovering a resistance movement and learning to create “audio flowers” as a means of rebellion and expression. An Audio Flower is a method of making music and sounds with their bodies that Boombox teaches the group, an Audio Flower is completely unique and different to every character.
The production featured a dedicated cast and crew of Lakewood High students who spent countless hours after school perfecting their performances, memorizing lines, and designing the set. Several students balanced roles as both cast and crew on the production.
The crew consists of Veronica Allie, Abigail Emerson, Lydia Mondt, Aribeth Moore-Guick, Gray Olson, Adele Wentzel, Ceci Whiteamire, and David Wilson. Carolyn Demanelis served as the director of production staff, while Freddy Hill took on the role of technical director. Lydia Mondt, Gray Olson, and Aribeth Moore-Guick worked as stage managers.
The cast showcased exceptional talent, with Barnstormers President Ceci Whiteamire portraying Forte and Vice President Josette Ballou as Boombox. Barnstormers publicist Samantha Perry played Echo in the production. Along with them, the play features Rowan Johnson, Bridget Katzenberger, and Holly Rogalski as Silence; Lilly Benjamin as L.P.; Alex Watts as Decibel; Axel Scott as Vuvuzela; Lydia Browning as Treble; and Tessa Ritchie as Beats.
This production also had an exceptional swing cast featuring Wanda Collins as both Echo and Treble. Along with Collins, Aiden Galati stepped into the roles of Decibel and Forte.
How to Make Audio Flowers is a deeply personal story for its characters, and this sentiment is carried through to the cast and crew. Bringing this story to the stage has also been a distinctive and meaningful experience for all production members. One of the most unique elements of the play was the creation of audio flowers, a spontaneous and improvised performance that varied each night.
“Doing the Audio Flowers in a group for the first time was a magical experience—truly magical,” Lydia Browning said.
Each performance of the audio flowers was unique, reflecting the emotions and energy of the moment. “It’s completely improv, we’re going to have a different theme every single night, and I think that’s actually going to be kind of special,” Tessa Ritchie said. “So it doesn’t feel planned. It feels honest to the moment and how we’re feeling.”
“It’s kind of weird, because it feels kind of vulnerable,” Ritchie continued. “It feels really scary, but then you start going and you just feel like laughing, you just kind of end up feeling connected. I just started laughing after trying to make it sound pretty, and then I was just like, ‘You know what, we’re just gonna keep going.” The process was both challenging and rewarding.
For Ritchie, the production stood out, “It’s completely different from anything I’ve done before,” she said.
Being a member of the Barnstormers program has proved to be very beneficial for everyone involved.
“Theater in general has made me a lot more confident in things outside of theater,” Lydia Browning said.
“Theater means the world to me,” Barnstormers vice president Josette Ballou said. The Barnstormers program has created a unique and supportive environment for Lakewood High School students.
While How to Make Audio Flowers is ostensibly about music, the story delves into deeper themes, such as secrets, lies, betrayal, and ultimately, acceptance. The characters learn to embrace their differences and express themselves in unique ways, offering a powerful message of resilience and self-discovery.
The performance transported audiences to a dystopian world and left them with a new perspective on life and self-expression. The performance encouraged viewers to explore their own creativity and individuality, inspired by the bravery of the characters and the actors who brought them to life on stage.
